To Be Warm
by ZeroGravityDog
Summary: One Shot FE:PoR Tormod can’t sleep because of the Daein’s wintery climate. And the lack of warmth. Perhaps Sothe would be willing to help. Yaoi. Light TS. Takes place after CH 21 or some time after they enter Daein.


Yo, yo, yo all! Wuz up? There here is yours truly ZeroGravityDog! And you are reading my fanfic! Hats off to ya! Anyway, let's get the usual stuff out of the way, shall we? And yes this is Yaoi. At last very light/hinted at. So those who are offended, I advice you to leave.

Category: Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. Or FE9.

Main Characters: Sothe and Tormod

Pairings: Light or hinted at Tormod/Sothe.

Summary: Tormod can't sleep because of the Daein's wintery climate. And the lack of warmth. Perhaps Sothe would be willing to help. Yaoi. Light T/S. Takes place after CH 21 or some time after they enter Daein.

Disclaimer. Don't own Fire Emblem.

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To Be Warm 

He was cold. His feet were cold, his legs were cold, his hands were cold. Basically everything was cold. Even underneath the heavy wool blanket, the bite of the chill air slipped inside to touch him. He curled into a ball, trying to keep any body warmth central.

Tormod shivered underneath the blanket. Casting a glance at his companion, the mage suppressed another shiver threatening to occur. How he envied Sothe. Tormod wondered how could the thief sleep in such a climate. Not that the desert had been any better, but back then he had Muarim to sleep with. He smiled, imagining burying his face deeper into soft, warm, fur. He loved it whenever the laguz transformed into the gorgeous green tiger that he was. It was especially useful during the desert nights.

Thinking about the 'old' days, made Tormod smile, even through another shiver. His mind wandered before the leader of the laguz finally came to a solution. Why not ask if he could sleep with Sothe? Share some body heat and what not. It took a few moments, before he realized how the solution sounded suggestive. Shaking his head, the red head assured himself, it was just between friends.

However, he could not stop a blush from appearing. Tormod chanced a glance at the other. Then mentally kicked himself. Sothe couldn't read minds, as far as he knew. Wouldn't be much of a thief else wise. Could he see in the dark? Hardly...well, maybe better than most, as he was a thief. Anyway, back to the subject at hand. What would his friend think? Sothe was anything but talkative. And any conversations they had, it was he who did all of the talking. The mage wasn't sure what to expect. His friend could think of many things, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to test their friendship.

His teeth chattered, making Tormod realize that he wouldn't be able to sleep without some extra warmth. Deciding upon asking anyway, the mage swallowed. Wishing Muarim was here, the red head took a breath and whispered over to the other bed. "Sothe. Hey Sothe, are you awake?" It was simple, really. If the other wasn't then, he would just resume trying to sleep. If he was...then...

"Yeah."

Darn...

"Oh...umm..." He could feel heat rising to his face. "Would you mind if I slept with you for the night?" Tormod meant to add 'I'm cold and can't sleep'. Really he meant to. But for some reason the words didn't come.

Honest, he really was going to add them.

For a few seconds, Sothe didn't respond, and the mage could only imagine what the other was thinking. The young leader, prepared himself for virtually anything. With what little interaction the two had, Tormod wasn't sure what to expect from his friend. Sothe was an enigma, one of the few in the company, who kept his words short and precise. So, basically the mage was expecting anything.

"Climb in."

He knew it. Sothe had...wait...had he heard right? "Really?"

"Hurry up."

"Uh yeah. Yeah! Sure."

Slipping his socked feet into his leather boots, to avoid soaking his feet with the wet ground, Tormod crossed the small distance between the two beds. His teeth chattered as the cold air sucked any warmth he had acquired earlier. The boots were slipped off, as he climbed into bed. The mage lifted the other's blanket and dove under it. Immediately, the young leader of the laguz felt a difference. Warmth encased under the wool cover, plus Sothe's body heat, flooded his whole body chasing away the icy feeling. A smile graced his lips, as he turned to lay on his side, facing Sothe's back.

Feeling drowsy already, the mage snuggled closer towards his friend and deeper into the blanket. He closed his eyes, still seeing Sothe's green hair, his mind already wandering into sleep. Releasing a content sigh, Tormod slipped into dreams, unconsciously snuggling closer to his friend and flinging an arm around the other.

* * *

Sothe had trained himself to settle within a light sleep whenever there was some sound indicating movement. It was a wondrous yet strange feeling, to be floating between sleep and the outside world. He was conscious of his surrounding, so he heard his companion shivering in the dark. Heard the rustle of blankets, as the mage twisted around, attempting a new position to sleep in. Originally Sothe had been a sleep, but with Tormod's constant movement, the thief was laying between sleep and awake. 

Frowning, Sothe knew both of them needed be well rested for tomorrow, as they were chosen personally by General Ike to accompany them to investigate Nasir's 'advice'. Continuing to drift between the real world and dream world, the green haired youth listened to the other. Sothe was grateful for being raised and born in Daein, so he was used to the weather conditions.

It wasn't long before Tormod stopped. Assuming that he was finally settled, warm, and asleep or close to it, Sothe also decided to relax. However, something tugged at him to stay awake for just a moment longer. Just in case the mage decided to ask...

"Sothe. Hey Sothe, are you awake?"

Yup. He asked. "Yeah."

"Oh...umm..." he could tell his friend was hesitant. "Would you mind if I slept with you for the night?"

He had been expecting the question since the mercenary group had entered the winter lands, which had been roughly five nights ago. However, the it caught him off guard nonetheless. Sothe's mind raced for a few fleeting seconds. Why was he hesitant? It's not like it meant anything, right? Was he scared? Scared of what will happen? Of what _might_ happen? Of how this would effect their weird, yet reliable friendship?

Growling at himself, Sothe threw any caution to the wind. "Climb in."

The thief could hear the uncertainty and surprise in the other's voice as he asked, "Really?"

"Hurry up." Sothe stated. Hurry up before any doubts and regrets might enter my mind, he was really pleading.

"Uh yeah. Yeah! Sure."

The thief waited in his bed, listening to the other's teeth as he entered the frigid air. Then he felt winter's touch along his back, but as quick as it came if left. In its place was a slightly chilled body, that quickly warmed up. Satisfied that Tomord would finally get some sleep, as well as letting him, Sothe sighed, his eyes closing. However, sleep was shoved aside, as he felt a slim arm around his waist. He stiffened, waiting for the opposing the limb to leave. But it didn't. Frowning, the thief forced himself to relax.

Shifting so he was facing Tormod, but careful to avoid waking him, the youth surveyed the other. Recalling the mercenaries first encounter with the young leader of the Laguz rebel, Tormod lived his whole life with the beasts until joining with Ike. Adding to that, the area the laguz had taken for refugee was a desert. Winds spraying the powered land into everything, coupled with scorching days and freezing nights. Contrary to belief, deserts were often fridge at night. Mulling over the last statement, Sothe concluded that Tormod was probably used to having another around him while he slept. And that someone was most likely Muarim.

He looked over the blankets, his eyes focusing on where Tormod's arm was underneath. It wasn't that he despised the other. Sure, when Tormod had first declared him a friend, right out of the blue, he labeled the mage crazy. But now, they had a strange, but working friendship. Still, Sothe wasn't used to such close contact. It...bothered him. During his days in Daein, the group he called family was made up of boys and a few girls who lived a life of thievery. Never, could he remember, any close contact or unneeded touching.

Still staring at Tormod, the green haired youth mulled over their friendship. By all means, it appeared to be one-sided. The mage had been the one to approach him, and most of their conversations were carried by him. In fact, Tormod was the only one to actually take some interest or concern about him. Don't get him wrong, Ike was a good commander, but that's just it. He was a commander, who had to look out for a large group. Sothe didn't really expect him to actually keep a close connection with him, which was just fine. The thief, though, did like what company the leader of the laguz provided.

Stifling a yawn, he stuff any more musing for later. Sleep was important, now that Tormod was asleep. Gazing at the other's content face, a smile gracing the sleeping mage's lips, Sothe decided to let it be. Just for this night.

He was used to the wintery climate, but for some reason, Sothe suddenly found the air chilling, and snuggled deeper into the blankets. He pressed against the other, lazily drifting into sleep as the shared body heat swept over him. It never occurred to him, that he had slipped his hand to the other's.

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Hey there. I tried to keep them in character as much as possible. So, that's it. Now, you see that nice square, purple button? Yeah, you know what I'm talkin' about. Click it, and leave a review! 

All flames will be used for my own entertainment of burning marshmallows.


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